The police chief of St. Paul, Minnesota, has lodged a sexual harassment complaint against the city’s first female mayor. The allegations accuse Mayor Kaohly Her of inappropriate behavior toward him and other members of the police department.
The city has engaged an external law firm to scrutinize these claims. This comes after Chief Axel Henry, who has held his position since 2022, detailed the allegations in an April 1 letter. His lawyer sent this letter to the St. Paul City Attorney, explicitly stating that the mayor’s conduct towards city employees violates the law.
Attorney Christopher Madel, in the letter obtained by KARE 11, emphasized the seriousness of the matter. According to the letter, the mayor’s conduct wasn’t a one-time occurrence but involved multiple instances of sexual harassment of subordinate city employees, particularly within the police department.
Chief Henry aims to address the alleged misconduct while also safeguarding his team from such behavior in the future. Included in the complaint is a screenshot involving an alleged text from Mayor Her to a city employee, reading “Happy Weiner Wednesday! Wish I was having a (hot dog emoji) with you all on 6 today!” This text message raises concerns due to the language used.
Accompanying the text was a meme depicting a swaddled baby with an adult’s head. The image caption read, “When she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering,” using internet slang for sexual intercourse.
The claim further suggests Mayor Her has utilized mobile phones for inappropriate communication, though no additional specific examples were provided. Madel also indicated that litigation might occur and urged the city to extract files from the mayor’s mobile devices.
Requests for comments from the mayor’s office and police representatives have not been answered. The city has hired Resolute Law, a St. Cloud-based firm, to conduct the investigation into these allegations. The firm thus far has not commented on the progress.
Mayor Her, who is 53 and originated from Laos, immigrated to the U.S. as a child. Her background is notable, having lived in a refugee camp before relocating to Illinois and Wisconsin.
Prior allegations of misconduct have been brought against the mayor as well. In the past year, a former friend filed a restraining order petition citing inappropriate and sexualized questions from the mayor; however, the petition was dismissed by a district court referee, with no evidence supporting the claims.